The Other Castle
by PetiteEnigma
Summary: Glinda gives Fiyero's family the news. In turn they share stories of his life. Title taken from the lines: "Where do you live?" "The other castle."
1. Introduction

_Disclaimer: Wicked is the property of Gregory Maguire and the Creative Team of the musical._

_Kluro Ko, Seiil, and Aiyer are my creations. _

* * *

"This is as far as I can take you, Your Goodness," The carriage stopped abruptly, jolting the lone passenger.

"Thank you," She descended in a hurry, "I won't be long." With that she turned onto the footpath, scepter in one hand and a short letter she had written just in case in the other.

A small bridge with an upward slant lead to the heavy doors. On one side the grounds. The other: sheer cliff leading to the small valley bellow. With each step the castle seemed to rise out of the rocks. Indeed it was right on the edge. Taking a deep breath she held the paper in her teeth and yanked the long cord. With a deep breath she stepped back.

Deep, rich tones echoed forth. She could feel them; it only proved to make the atmosphere more eerie. The fog did nothing to help. She swallowed a little lump. Of what? Remorse? Nerves? At this point there was no way to tell. As she waited she rehearsed what she needed to say, reminded herself to be strong, not to cry. If only she had just mailed the letter. Instead of convincing herself she needed to tell them herself.

"Who is it?" A female voice with a harsh yet sing-songy tone to it called.

"Glinda the Good. I ha-"

"Oh Miss Glinda! Do come in," A stout graying woman opened the door just wide enough that she may enter. "What brings you to our humble abode?" She chuckled after, clearly aware of the presence of the castle. "Welcome to Kluro Ko."

"Mrs. Tigelaar..." Glinda tried to begin.

"Please, call me Baxianna." A kind smile. His smile.

"Yes, Baxianna." She gave a short, sincere nod, "I'm very sorry but... I have some bad news..."

The smile dropped and was replaced by a hand. "What? What has happened?"

"Fiyero... he..." the words failed her.

"Please...I need to know. He is-was?-my child."

"He involved himself with dangerous politics..." She shook her head, "I'm sorry. That's what I was told to say, but I know there is so much more." With that she composed herself to begin again, "Fiyero was the Captain of the Guard...and my fiance for a while. He never seemed happy. At least not until she came back..."

"She who?"

"My old roommate. He ran off with her and it made me furious! I wished horrible things on them. I didn't mean to...oh please don't think I meant to... I put her sister to death. Fiyero... he saved her. But I couldn't save him. What good does it do to be called the Good if the Guards won't listen to me? I'm sorry." Glinda looked at her hands.

"How...?"

"They beat him...demanded to know where she went. He loved her. He was loyal to her."

Baxianna gasped and in the haze before a sob demanded to know, "And his body? Is it whole?"

"Yes, they did not dismember him." She felt cold and distant in that moment.

"At least he will find peace then," Fiyero's mother dropped to her knees and let out a piercing wail.


	2. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: See Introduction_

_A/N: Seiil is pronounced Seh (like meh) -Eel. Aiyer is pronounced Eye -yair._

* * *

Unsure of what else to do, Glinda set down her wand and knelt beside the older woman. She didn't move or speak, just waited. As Baxianna's heaves subsided she let out a sigh of relief.

"I'm sorry," she stood and moved to help her up, "I didn't want to just send a letter. That seemed too unfeeling. And there are many things I wouldn't have been able to tell you. The truth, for one."

Baxianna drew a handkerchief out of her sleeve and wiped her eyes with it. "No matter how it is told...there is still pain. Thank you for coming all this way to tell me."

"You're welcome. He was a personal friend," a thought hit her, "Did you know he offered your family's other castle as sanctuary?"

"Yes...he wrote once-and he rarely did-asking if his friend could hide there. Now what was her name? Aletha...Ethel...Phebe...Alpha...Elf..."

"Elphaba?"

"Yes that was it," Baxianna turned to face her, "Did you know this Elphaba?"

"She was a very good friend of mine."

"She isn't anymore?"

"She died as well recently."

"How?"

"She...melted." Glinda realized how absurd it sounded.

"And now the pieces fall into place," Baxianna set her hands on her hips.

"What do you mean?"

"You, Glinda the Good, were the roommate of Elphaba, better known as the Wicked Witch of the West, at Shiz University. You were engaged to Fiyero, but he fell in love with Elphaba. They ran off together, as you said, and the last place you knew her to be was at Kiamo Ko." She smiled smugly.

"That is correct." Glinda caught herself before she blurted out that she had watched her die. She would carry that secret to her grave.

"Come, see the rest of Kluro Ko," Baxianna motioned with her hands, "We need something much more pleasant to talk about, and if that's decor and architecture, so be it."

Glinda followed, listening sincerely to the prattle.

"Here is the kitchen, the small dining hall, the larder, the pantry, the lower parlor, the grand dining hall-that alcove at the end is the throne room," She stopped at a staircase, "These next rooms are much more personal."

"That's alright, and thank you." The younger woman gave a nod.

They trodded up two stony flights, "These are the bedrooms: mine, my late husband's, my daughter Seiil's, my son Aiyer's, and that one was Fiyero's. Here is the upper parlor, the Eastern sun room, the chapel (a small shrine was set up with an inscription that read _Marillot Tigelaar _and there was ample room for others). This was a sitting room at one point, but when the children were younger it was converted to a playroom and stayed that way. The Western sitting room-Fiyero loved to watch the sunset from here-, and the library."

"What is in the tower?" The sight of it had piqued her curiosity.

"Other rooms, small ones. It's intended for lookouts mostly. There is one room at the very top. Apparently the builders read one too many fairytales and decided to put a bedroom up in that obscure spot. No one in their right mind would make their daughter sleep all the way up there. It's just ridiculous." She shook her head a few times.

"Are your other children around? Shouldn't they be told too?" Glinda remembered the original purpose for her visit.

"Yes, they were in their rooms when we passed by." Baxianna spun on her heel and marched back down the hall. She rapped with her knuckles in quick succession first on one door then the other. "Seiil, Aiyer, we have a guest."


	3. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: See Introduction_

* * *

"Coming Ma," A young woman younger than Glinda by only a few years stepped out of her room first. "Oh. Why hello Lady Glinda." She bobbed a small curtsy.

"There is no need for formalities here. Call me Glinda." She smiled.

"I am the Princess Seiil-but you can just call me Seiil," she grinned with adolescent over-confidence. "But why are you visiting Kluro Ko? Don't you have better things to do? Like rule Oz for one?"

"Oz will be fine without me for a few days. I have left my most trusted advisor's in charge in the Emerald City." Glinda sighed, "I needed to come here for a personal reason."

"What's all this?" A young man nearly identical to Fiyero except for the gray eyes and shorter hair walked into the hallway.

"Oh good you're here Aiyer." Seiil nudged her eldest brother in the ribs.

"Hey-"

"Let's go to the sun room so we all have a place to sit," Baxianna gave Glinda a look as to say 'Siblings...'.

Glinda as an only child had no basis for comparison and simply gave a little shrug.

In the sun room once everyone was seated she rose to her feet. She began: "I have already told your mother what happened, but she feels you need to know as well."

Aiyer and Seiil sat up a little straighter to show they were listening.

"Your brother Fiyero was killed by the Wizard's guards while in Munchkinland. Tortured...for withholding information," No matter how many times she told this it wasn't going to get any easier. "I went to school with him for a few years. We were engaged...until everything changed so suddenly. My old roommate -my best friend- reappeared. He loved her. I resented them both for it. Too many people ended up being hurt in all this."

"What do you mean?" Seiil had never felt so confused.

"I think that's a lot more than we needed to know..." Aiyer shook his head.

"He loved the Wicked Witch of the West." their mother clarified.

"So? Everyone needs to be loved," the daughter shrugged then realized, "Ohh..."

"You have to promise me you will never tell anyone else what I have told you. Not even the circumstances behind Fiyero's death. I'm trusting you with all of it because you are far enough away from the main area of Oz. And as his family you should know." Glinda was as serious as she could be.

If any of this got out it could undermine her rule. Oz as it was still reeled from the deaths of so many authority figures. The Wizard hadn't been the only one to define the distribution of power. Elphaba and Nessarose for all the hatred heaped upon them, most of it undeserved, had impacted the loosely united nation-states. She had skyrocketed from figurehead to leader in a matter of hours. It felt that way at least.

"We swear on the graves of Fiyero and our father that we won't tell another soul." Aiyer raised both of his hands just above his shoulders, palms facing forward and gave a quick nod. Seiil and Baxianna copied the motion but held up the backs of their hands.

"I really must be going now. I'm sorry for your loss." Glinda absentmindedly patted her curls. "Thank you for showing me your home," She directed her gratiousness at Baxianna.

"Come; we'll all walk you out."

The door to Fiyero's room creaked open a sliver and everyone jumped. It had never shut well. The castle was a couple hundred years old and there wasn't always the time or the resources to repair every little thing. The latch was worn and the hinges gave a sickening squeak if opened too slowly.

"It's just the wind..." _I hope it's just the wind._

Seiil nearly flung the door open as though to catch the aparition of her brother before it fled to the shadows. Sure enough, someone had left a window open. She let out a sigh not of relief, but deep sadness. Everything sat in the exact place he had left it. The hastily made bed, school papers still on the desk. Books about dancing mixed in with others about military strategy and the occassional romance novel.

"He wanted to be a famous dancer when he was younger, remember Ma?" Aiyer asked, trying to lighten the mood.

"Da almost took away his inheritance over that. But he was never directly in line so it wasn't an issue for long." Seiil piped in before her mother had a chance to respond.

"Yes I do remember that. It was feasible; he certainly could dance." Baxianna's words were forceful, but in a kind, overbearingly motherly sort of way.

"He would run around perfecting every new dance move he learned."

"And he made up his own."

"Yes I remember..." Glinda's words gave way to an awkward pause.

Mother and daughter both shook their heads. Aiyer's expression went from shock to intrigue to confusion in a matter of moments. She cleared her throat loudly.

"At least father didn't see him in that outfit he put on for Shiz! Those pants!" Seiil let out a peal of laughter.

"I still don't know what he was thinking putting on something that tight."

"He just wanted all the girls to look at his-"

"That's quite enough!" Baxianna threw up her hands in protest. "I believe our guest is waiting to be walked out."

"Yes Ma..." Aiyer and Seiil answered in stereo.

Down the two flights and through the a small hallway to the main foyer. The front doors were no less impressive from the inside. A series of iron bars kept out intruders and solicitors. The queen turned a crank and the bars dissappeared into holes in the masonry. She started to open the door.

Glinda set a hand on top of the older woman's, "I've changed my mind. I'd like to stay here for a few days." She offered an explanation, "Fiyero never talked much about his life growing up out here in the Vinkus and it's just always something that interested me."

"We would love to have you as our guest Glinda. We'll set you up in one of the spare rooms as soon as possible."


End file.
